Bad Girlfriend
by nowforruin
Summary: One shot written for the Geekward Shuffle contest. Edward went to NYU dreaming of a future surrounded by academia. He ended up bartending in Brooklyn. Now he finds himself stuck with a bad job and a bad girlfriend.
1. Chapter 1

**Geekward Shuffle Challenge**

**Pen Name: nowforruin**

**Link to FFnet Profile: **.net/~nowforruin

**Song Title: Bad Girlfriend, Theory of a Deadman**

**Story Title: Bad Girlfriend **

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary: **Edward went to NYU dreaming of a future surrounded by academia. He ended up bartending in Brooklyn. Now he finds himself stuck with a bad job and a bad girlfriend.

Huge thanks to LexyW for doing the beta job on the this!

* * *

I rolled out of bed at the usual time, well past the crack of noon. My every day routine continued as I stumbled across my bedroom, shoes, clothes, and miscellaneous magazines accosting me at every step. Bleary eyed, I made my way to the bathroom and twisted the shower on. I had exactly twenty minutes to get presentable and make it to work.

Coming to New York City, I had been full of dreams like so many other young, vibrant kids. I was going to go to NYU, study literature, and emerge a fully employable twenty something. What actually happened was that I started working at a local bar to pay my tuition. The hours finally caught up to me one day, and in what my mother assured me was possibly my dumbest move to date, I gave up college to bartend. I made a killing.

Curling my toes in impatience against the cool tile floor, I heaved an exhausted sigh at the predicament I had landed myself in. Having made a decision about my life so thoroughly loathed by my parents, they had cut me off financially. What had once upon a time seemed like a killing was now just enough to make ends meet in the oh-so-expensive city I had chosen to live. I was growing tired of this path, but still far too proud to admit it. Stepping under the spray, I found myself relieved to be alone for once. That was perhaps why I had slept so well; Jessica had mysteriously failed to come last night – again. It was becoming a pattern of hers, and much to my chagrin, I was perfectly ok with it.

Without the luxury of time on my side, the relaxation of the shower was short lived. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I stepped out; though the reflection was blurry, it was impossible to miss that I looked like a train wreck. My eyes were blood-shot, puffy from my previous night, and I had the pallor of someone long accustomed to missing the daylight hours. I didn't have time to shave, so the five o'clock shadow would have to stay. It wasn't so unfortunate; I made more money slightly scruffy. I found it strange, but my wallet wasn't protesting - just my boss. Luckily, it was Thursday and he wouldn't be there.

Far from the glamour I had envisioned for myself, I had landed in Brooklyn. It was more my style anyway; the people weren't so concerned with the glitz in Manhattan. The bar I worked at was run by a retired cop who permitted the patrons to smoke pot behind the building after a certain hour. This made him immensely popular and kept the bar busy. Drugs weren't my thing, but a busy bar definitely was.

I hurried down the street toward the bar three blocks away from my apartment. In a perfect world, I would just be walking out of my latest lecture, chatting with impressed and attentive students. However, in reality, there was a mighty pissed off fellow bartender waiting for me the second I entered.

"Edward! How nice of you to join us!" she seethed, taking two dangerously fast steps toward me. Oh, no, I moaned silently, watching as Bella's face flushed with anger. She saw last night. She knows and I am _so_ screwed.

"Hi Bella. Can I get some coffee before the ass-tearing begins?" I flashed the usual crooked grin, hoping it would get her off my case. No such luck. Her brown eyes darkened, her entire body rigid.

"Sure, Edward. You just walk on over to Starbucks. While you're there, can you please invest in a new mop? The one we usually use I had to throw out because your girlfriend, class act that she is, she threw up all over the bathroom _after_ we closed last night." Oh no. Bella let the reality of what she was telling me sink in, taking another step toward me. "Oh, right, and that's also _after_ Rich had done his cleaning. So guess what was waiting for me when I got here? Right! Your girlfriend's stale vomit."

"Um… I'm sorry?"

"I should have saved it for your stupid ass. " She glared at me, no sign of backing down. This was becoming a familiar scenario; Jessica did something stupid, Bella found out, and it somehow managed to make my work a living hell.

"I'll buy you a coffee?"

"You do that. Extra espresso. I need something strong to get the taste of disgust out of my mouth." She spun on her heel and stalked off toward the bar. I heard the loud clink of bottles moments later as she began hauling out stock for the evening.

Shaking my head, I turned and went back out the door I had just come in. The sunshine was excruciatingly bright. In my hurry to arrive on time, I had forgotten my sunglasses. The only protection my eyes had came from my black-rimmed eyeglasses. Jessica told me on a regular basis that they made me look like a geeky grad student, but I ignored her. I put up with a lot from her, but the glasses stayed. They reminded me that one day I would get back to being that geeky grad student… one day.

I rushed to get in and out of the local Starbucks. I had not expected Bella to be pleased with Jessica's performance; I suspected it was the very reason she had disappeared the night before. Jessica was in the bar a little too often for Bella's liking. It wasn't jealously or anything as petty as that; Bella's superiority complex wouldn't allow her to bring herself down to Jessica's level. But even I knew that Jessica had a tendency to get out of hand and cause a scene... and it didn't bother me in the least. The more attention she got from the rest of the bar, the less she harassed me while I was working.

Determined to regain some modicum of decorum with my co-worker, I plastered a smile on my face and marched back into the bar. Bella had her back to me, bent over the bar. She was already wearing three or four inch heels, and the angle she was bent at gave me an excellent view of her backside. Lately she had taken to wearing skinny jeans to the bar; the same skintight effect that worked so well on our male patrons was not lost on me. Sometimes I wondered what it would be like to lock the doors and bend Bella right over the bar. Sometimes when I was wondering that, Bella would turn around and catch me… and then I would wonder how badly it could hurt to get stabbed with a stiletto heel.

Luckily Bella was too wrapped up in whatever she was doing to notice my ogling. I got myself quickly under control with a firm reminder that I had a perfectly hot girlfriend as I walked around the opposite side of the bar to hand Bella her coffee; venti vanilla soy latte, six shots espresso. She would have several before the night was out.

Spotting me in her vision, she stood up suddenly, her hair falling around her shoulders. Warm chocolate eyes focused on me for an instant before turning cold again. "Thank you," she said without a hint of warmth. "The kegs need to be changed."

"All of them?"

"Yes, Edward. All of them. Last night you said you'd get here early to take care of it. You didn't. So now you better hurry the fuck up." She glared at me one final time before bending back down to the bar where she was fiddling with the soda nozzle.

Resigning myself to the fact that it was going to be a long night I eased out of my sweatshirt, tossing it on the bar. Beneath I wore the bar uniform of a black T-shirt; well, it used to be black. But it was dark enough in the bar no one would notice it had faded from many washings to a dull gray. Regardless, it would be covered in beer by the end of the night and was dark enough to hide stains.

My arms were aching by the time I got done switching out the kegs. They continued to ache throughout the night as business picked up. Bella worked beside me with hardly a word to me, though she had a smile for everyone else.

It was after midnight when Jessica came slinking through the door. She was wearing a miniskirt, over the knee boots, and a shirt – if you could call it that - that was black like the rest of her outfit. The front was masquerading as a regular, plain cotton T-shirt but the back was one small silver chain across her shoulder blades. There was a guy with her.

"Did your girlfriend just walk into _your_ bar looking like a hooker with another guy?" Bella hissed in my ear since Jessica's appearance was apparently worth the effort of speaking to me. I glared at her for a long moment before directing my ire where it belonged. Sure enough, Jessica was sauntering up to the bar, tugging the blond guy behind her. There was something familiar about him, but it could have been that he looked like any other all-American boy. Blond, broad shouldered, tanned, effortlessly stylish. The guy belonged in an Abercrombie ad.

"Edward!" she squealed when she made it to the bar, elbowing her way through the crowd of paying customers. Thankfully, I barely heard her over the volume of the music. Bella had already stalked away to pour drinks, refusing to acknowledge Jessica. "You'll never guess who's visiting!"

I turned my gaze from her to the guy she was with. Our eyes met and I instantly recognized him: Mike Newton, Jessica's high school boyfriend. We had all grown up together in the rain-logged town of Forks, though I had been the only one to flee to the city immediately following graduation. Jessica had turned up at NYU after being summarily ejected from Columbia. She insisted it was all a big misunderstanding, but the accusation was that her excellent scores in biology had a lot more to do with her extracurricular study with the TA rather than her test scores. Mike Newton had gotten a scholarship to play football at Washington State, but that was the last I had heard of him. What he was doing in my bar was beyond me.

"Newton." It was the only greeting he was getting.

"Hey, Eddie!" He reached forward, clapping me roughly on the shoulder. I bristled at the old moniker, memories of high school assaulting me at light speed. "Finally figured out how to get your nose out of a book, I see."

"Oh, he still has them all. Our apartment is filled with those dusty things!" Jessica wrinkled her nose, tossing her artificially blond hair over her shoulder. Her kohl-rimmed eyes focused back on me, a smirk on her mouth. "Edward, pour me a drink."

I stared at her for one long moment, weighing the pros and cons of doing as she bid. Showing up with another guy dressed like she was, it was an insult. My pride didn't appreciate insults. On the other hand, she had failed to come home the night before, which meant I had slept alone, which also meant that the only sex I had was with myself. If I did as Jessica bid, there was a good chance I might be able to change the scenario. It was unlike her to go missing two nights in a row… though with Mike in town, it was entirely possible.

Erring on the side of wanting to get laid, I turned and began mixing Jessica's drink. Hoping to get her off my case – and more pliable – I filled the tequila sunrise with twice the required spirits. As she had failed to actually order a particular drink, she was getting what ever I damn well pleased. A couple of these and she'll be just right, I smirked to myself, sticking a straw and several cherries in the glass. When I turned around, she was waiting. Mike was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Mike?"

"Sent him away," she said coyly, reaching for the drink. She took one long sip, her eyes flashing with mischief when she looked at me again. "Well, this is awfully strong. If I didn't know better, Edward Masen, I would think you were trying to get me drunk."

"Maybe I am."

"That's my boy." She set the glass down, leaning across the bar and beckoning to me. As soon as I was close enough, she grabbed my face and pulled my mouth down on hers. Her tongue ran along my lips as we kissed, her kisses growing more passionate. She nipped lightly at my bottom lip as the cheers started, her hands running through my hair. When she finally pulled away, I was flushed and glad to be standing behind a bar that came to my waist.

"I think you should take a break," she whispered in my ear. Her teeth nipped once more at my ear lobe before she pulled away. She grabbed her drink and started to down it, her eyes focused on me the entire time. A new song was starting on the stereo as she pounded back the drink. "You just come find me when you have time. Until then, I'd like another drink."

Grinning wildly, I quickly made her another, watching as she started off toward the back patio, drink in hand. Maybe that's where Mike went, I thought to myself with a smirk.

Bella shot me her usual look of disgust when I looked over in her direction. I just shrugged, refusing to explain myself. Bella could act all high and mighty as much as she wanted, but Jessica wasn't going anywhere. She didn't judge my career choice, she didn't harp on me about getting back to school, and she was phenomenal in bed. It was worth it to put up with her over-the-top personality and tendency to humiliate herself in public.

I spent the next hour hustling, working extra hard so I could use the excuse of needing a break. I don't know why I bothered; this was a fairly regular routine. Bella knew where I would be on my break and she knew what I would be doing. She never said anything, just glared at me upon my return.

This is exactly what she did when I returned a short time later, sweat still evident in my hair. It was a hot night, and though we had been outside in the alley, I had quickly managed to work up a sweat with Jessica pressed up against the building. She didn't mind one bit, I thought satisfactorily, revisiting the delicious moans she had exuded from her position against the bricks. Round two at home later in the evening was sure to delight.

"What?" I asked Bella as she continued to stare. It was nearly two in the morning, and the bar was finally starting to wind down for the night. She nodded her head over my shoulder, her eyes fixated on something there. I turned and mentally groaned. Jessica.

In the time it had taken me to get away from the bar preceding our alley rendezvous, she had downed several drinks, all equally strong. She was definitely drunk, though surprisingly still balancing fairly well on her heels. Mike Newton had his hand on her ass as they worked their way back toward the bar.

"Jessica," I began, infuriated. I grabbed her arm over the bar and pulled her close. "What the fuck is he doing?" Not mere moments ago, _my_ hands had been on Jessica's ass. My hands had been a lot of places on Jessica.

"Oh, he's just going to give me a boost."

"A boost?"

"Yeah!" The stereo switched songs again, the loud music pulsating through the speakers. "I want to dance," she announced, getting closer to me.

"Ok. There's a dance floor for that."

"Yeah, I know. I like the bar better." Before I could stop her, she was climbing atop the bar. In the background, the song hit the chorus and I smirked, watching Jessica try to get leverage. _She likes to shake her ass; she grinds it to the beat._ Jessica eventually got her footing, and with an entire bar's worth of male patrons now staring, proceeded to do just that.

I leaned back against the liquor shelves, refusing to look at Bella. She would just yell at me to get Jessica off the bar, but I didn't see the point in that. Jessica was clearly enjoying herself, and I was enjoying the view of her legs and ass. Take that, Mike Newton, I mentally smirked. That girl's going home with me. Not you.

Jessica dipped low, exposing a bright red lace thong to the entire bar. Cheers and cat calls erupted, but she just kept going. I watched, mesmerized at the swivel of her hips. There was a fully clothed stripper atop my bar, and she would be in my bed in a few short hours. Moments like this made it worth all of her annoying habits.

As the song ended, Jessica turned to me, her face flush with excitement. She slid down the bar, landing on my side of it. Taking two quick steps toward me, she pressed herself along the entire length of my body. Her hands roamed, one slipping up the back of my shirt to dig her nails into my back as she pressed her mouth hard against mine. She kissed me for one long moment, clearly enjoying the continuation of the attention she was receiving from the bar patrons before pulling away. "Hurry home and I'll make it worth it. Dancing's got me all worked up," she purred, grinding her hips into mine for one delightfully excruciating moment.

She was gone within seconds, much to my chagrin.

Bella had seen the entire spectacle. Her arms were folded across her chest, her pale features drawn into a look of abhorrence. She didn't say a word, merely went back to pouring drinks. We ended up nearly hip to hip within moments, both reaching for the same draft beer.

"You know what that song is called, Edward?" Bella asked as she watched the amber liquid fill the glass I was holding.

"I have no idea."

"Bad Girlfriend."

~ * ~

It had been two weeks since Jessica's bar dancing routine had so thoroughly miffed Bella. Unlike her usual pattern, Bella had stayed angry about this one. To her, it was an affront to any number of things, from the decency of the bar she worked at, to women exploiting themselves so thoroughly. She had ranted all of this at me that night as we cleaned up; I felt it best to not point out her skin tight T-shirt and jeans, which were clearly in place to make her more money. I had learned a long time ago that Bella had a temper when pushed; several broken glasses and beer bottles could testify to that.

Jessica, if she had been home at all, was already gone by the time I got home from work. I strongly suspected her be to be out with Mike, and when she didn't come home the next night either, I became certain of it since I hadn't seen her since.

The fact that what I missed most about her was the sex was a clue I should have gotten rid of her long before she up and left. Surely there had to be other girls, less annoying, more faithful, who could give me the same sort of physical pleasures.

I had yet to give in to the temptation to take a girl home from the bar, but it was getting more tempting by the day. If I could have successfully done it without Bella seeing, I would have. But her disapproval grated on me for some reason that I couldn't put my finger on.

I arrived early to work, my version of apologizing to Bella for the stunts my girlfriend had pulled in the bar over the last year. Ex-girlfriend, I corrected myself. Jessica's things were packed up in a corner of the apartment for whenever she decided to reappear. I was sincerely hoping she would stop by one day when I was at work and take the hint.

Now that I was no longer rushing to get out of the bar at night, nearly everything that needed to be done already was. I spent some time getting ice from the back, making sure the liquor bottles were full and the freezer filled with frosty glasses. With Bella still nowhere in sight, there was nothing else to do.

There was a piano in the bar, tucked away in the corner of the small stage that was occupying the rear left side of the bar. Once a year, the owner hosted a local band contest, his version of giving back to the community. There were occasional live performances over the rest of the year, but they were rare. The bar patrons preferred the pulsating music provided by the electronic jukebox.

It had been years since I had played. My parents had seen to it that I got a formal musical education from a young age; I had shown a propensity for the piano so early that I could play Mozart with ease by the age of eight. Transporting a piano cross country was too much of a hassle, so for the last six years, my beloved baby grand had remained in Forks with my parents. While enrolled at NYU, I had taken music classes, giving me access to the instruments, but it had been a long time since my fingers had tickled the ivory.

Bella walked in to find me gazing longingly at the piano. With a curious raising of her eyebrow, she moved behind the bar, checking it over. "Everything's done?" she said softly, her tone puzzled. She turned the quizzical expression in my direction, suspicion all over her face. "Alright. Out with it. What did you do?"

"What?" I stared back, flabbergasted. What had I done? Nothing that I was aware of.

"You've been on super good behavior lately. Jessica hasn't even come in to shake her ass on my bar again. You've kept her away, and you've been on time, early even. Why?"

I shrugged, my face flaming. I ran my fingers through my perpetually messy hair, tugging on the strands. "I didn't do anything. Jessica and I are done."

"Since when?"

"Since she did that little dance number to her personal theme song."

"You seemed to rather enjoy that when it was happening."

"I did. Then she never came home again."

"I see." Bella paused for a moment, as if weighing her next words carefully. She shifted her weight around, then finally sighed heavily. "Ok, fine. Good for you. Now why are you staring at that piano like that? Is there a rat under it?"

I eyed her askance, remembering the last time there had been a rat in the bar. Bella acted tough and in general didn't take anyone's shit – mine included – but at the sight of one small rat, she had been atop the bar for a solid half hour. I let the silence build for a long moment, internally chuckling at how fidgety she got before answering. "No, I used to play."

"Used to?"

"Yeah. At home. It was a long time ago."

"You're twenty six. It couldn't have been that long." Another long pause, then her eyes settled on mine. There was a warmth in them I had never seen directed in my direction before. "So go play for a little while. You've already done everything that needs doing."

Do you need doing? I asked her silently, my eyes running involuntarily down her body. Today's T-shirt had a rather low, scooped neckline to go with her skin tight jeans. A good portion of Bella's creamy skin was showing, all the more beautiful set against the black of her shirt.

I shifted my gaze quickly back to the piano, lest she catch me staring. Stop it, Edward, I told myself firmly, taking a tentative step toward the piano. Just because this is the longest you've gone without having sex in well over a year doesn't mean Bella is going to suddenly take an interest in you. She hasn't once in the last two years, even before Jessica. Single men go longer than two weeks without getting laid all the time. Suck it up.

"I'm going to Starbucks. Have fun," she called as I reached the piano. By the time I turned, all I saw was a flash of her chestnut hair in the sunlight as she went out the front door. A shock of disappointment flooded through my veins as I sat down in front of the keys; a part of me had wanted her there to hear me play.

I began to play a Mozart sonata from memory and was then glad Bella had gone. It had been too long since I had played and my fingers were stubborn at coaxing the music forward. But by the time I had moved to the next piece, they were gliding smoothly. Just like riding a bike, I told myself, letting my eyes slide closed. Nothing to it.

I played one of Chopin's nocturnes next, the deep sound of the music echoing throughout the empty bar. Playing the piano felt like coming home in a lot of ways, and I could very nearly feel my soul itself relax.

Not even opening my eyes to discover Bella watching from a seat at the bar could deter me from the high I was on. Her posture was different than usual; the defensive, tough front I was used to had thawed slightly.

There were also two coffee cups on the bar.

"Did you get me a coffee?" I asked incredulously, eyeing the green and white cup.

"Yep." She spun on the bar stool, now directly facing me. "Congrats on getting rid of the psycho, you get a prize."

I chuckled under my breath, taking a seat several stools over from Bella and eyeing the cup. Sure enough, it was exactly what I always ordered. "How did you know what to get?"

"Please. We've worked together for nearly two years."

"But, um, well, I always buy my own coffee."

"I'm observant."

"That so?" I asked sarcastically, but the cool exterior was a front. On the inside I was fighting the rising warmth in my cheeks, the sudden concentration it was taking to forth coherent sentences.

"Yes."

"What else have you observed?" I taunted. I was completely unprepared for her answer.

"I've noticed that in the last two weeks, you've seemed lighter, more free. I thought it was because you had found a way to keep Jessica out of the bar. Your eyes turn the most brilliant shade of green when you're angry. You talk about home like you both loathe it and desperately miss it at the same time. Every time a college kid comes in here, you stare at them like you're starving and they're your last meal. You talk about books like they're real, breathing people." She took a deep breath, her face flushed deeply. I had never seen Bella blush before. "And when you were playing that piano, it became a part of you."

I leaned back on one elbow against the bar, stunned into silence. Bella's stares I had always assumed were of loathing and disgust had clearly not been just so. She had me pegged. She also thought my eyes were a brilliant shade of green. The heat in my cheeks flamed into a full blown blush.

"I've missed playing," I finally said, at a loss for what else to talk about. I really did not want to discuss how spot on Bella's observations were.

"Why did you stop? You obviously love it."

"It's… a long story." I sighed heavily, willing myself to ignore yet another rush of memories. "The short version is that my piano is in Forks. I'm here."

"So? I doubt Rich would care if you used that old thing."

"Yeah, this isn't nearly the same as mine." The piano in the corner was a heap of junk, while the one back in Forks was a beautiful baby grand. I wasn't about to bore Bella with the other technical differences that made one far superior to the other.

"So have it shipped."

I gaped at her, at her matter-of-fact tone. "Bella, do you have any idea what's involved in shipping a piano? How dangerous it is for the instrument? It could get damaged easily moving across town, never mind across the country. If I ever move it, I'll be moving it myself."

She was silent for a long moment, her studying gaze resettled on my face. "You're wasting your time in this bar, you know," she finally said. There was an ache in her voice, whether for herself or for me, I wasn't sure. "This isn't the life you're meant to have. You're too smart."

"I'm not that smart. It's just the glasses."

She laughed quietly, leaning down and reaching across the bar stools. Her fingers closed around one edge of the glasses, gently pulling them off my face. She set them lightly against the bar. "I'll give you that they're sort of geeky, but you're still smart without them. Except about girls. You're a failure with girls."

If it had been any other day Bella said those words to me, I would have laughed. Instead, they ignited a simmering burn within me. "I used to be smart," I finally said slowly. "Then I guess… I just wasn't anymore."

"Edward, you can forget dates and places, but smart isn't something you forget. You can tell just the way you talk to people."

I felt my cheeks flush while wondering at the turn this conversation had taken. In all the years since Bella had shown up at the bar, this was the most serious conversation we had ever had. Usually we discussed which beer would be on tap, the changing of the seasons, or the latest guy to nearly earn Bella's spike heel up his ass.

"Yeah well. What about you, miss overly observant. You're smarter than this place."

She chuckled, rising from her seat. Puzzled, I watched as she went around the bar, grabbed two shots glasses and a bottle of tequila. Two limes followed. She poured without watching, expertly topping each glass. "I'm going to tell you a little secret." I stared back at her, my curiosity piqued. "I own this bar… and several others."

"What?"

She smiled a tiny secretive smile, her eyes alight with mischief. It made me think of Jessica's gaze the night she had climbed on the bar, but this was different. Thinking back, there had been a malice lurking in Jessica's pretty blue eyes, while Bella's deep chocolate gaze was filled only with mirth. "Cheers," she said by way of an answer, grabbing one of the shot glasses and downing the tequila. I quickly followed suit, my grimace only slight. She had grabbed the good stuff.

I waited patiently for perhaps ten seconds before asking, "What… What do you mean you own this place? I thought Rich…?"

"Rich used to own this one. I bought the place from him a few years back. I agreed he could stay on to manage the place, spend time with his friends. Why do you think he's hardly ever here? Besides, we decided it would be easier if all the employees figured I was just a pretty girl who knew how to pour a beer." She flashed me another grin, blindly pouring two more perfect shots.

"But the hours… the work…"

She shrugged. "I love my bars. I love the nightlife here, the neighborhood." She hesitated a moment before speaking again. "I even like working with you, Edward." This time, she took the shot straight, no cheers. I quickly followed, wondering why exactly I was getting drunk before my shift with my newly discovered boss. "Except, of course, when that whore girlfriend of yours was on top of my bar ruining the wood with those ridiculous shoes."

"Ex-girlfriend," I reminded her, watching her pour yet another shot. "Um… Bella, I appreciate the free Patron and all, and it turns out, not getting fired for letting my ex up on your bar, but… Uh, how exactly do you expect me to work shit-faced?"

"Are you trying to tell me you haven't work shifts here before while you've been drunk?"

My face flamed again, caught. To disguise my embarrassment, I yanked the tequila bottle from her hands and poured another round of shots. "Fine. How are _you_ going to work shit-faced?"

"Me?" She laughed merrily, staring at the pale liquor in her glass. "I'm the boss."

I stared at her in shock, wondering if she meant to just leave me to work alone that night. This was a side of Bella I had never seen before. I was still reeling from the announcement that the bar belonged to her; I had pegged her for no more than twenty five.

"So, uh, have you ever gotten up on any of your bars?" I blurted out. I was at a loss for another comment and the question had suddenly popped into my mind. The sensor that usually kept such thoughts in my head had been much abused by tequila and was on strike.

I expected her to laugh, but instead her expression morphed into one of sly satisfaction. Her amusement stretched all the way into her eyes as she reached for the tequila bottle, easily reclaiming it from my loose grip. With her gaze firmly on mine, she poured another round. She took a deep breath, swallowed the shot, and said evenly, "Edward, such a smart boy like you should know. Silly blond girls aren't the only ones who like to shake their ass. Or wear red thongs."


	2. Chapter 2

I know a bunch of you had favorited this one-shot in the hopes that I would continue it when the contest was over. Well, it took me a long damn time to get to it, but I'm finally working on an expansion. As it is not a true continuation, the long form version of this will be posted under a separate fic, "Roman Candle" and I'll be taking down the one-shot in the next few weeks. I'll leave this note up until then so hopefully everyone who wants to gets a chance to read it.

Thanks for reading!

NFR


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